Baptisia plant named ‘Honey Roasted’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of hardy herbaceous False Indigo plant named ‘Honey Roasted’ characterized by flowers that open up dark mahogany with a complementary bright yellow keel beginning in late May and continuing for two to three weeks. The new plant has a narrow, medium-height, upright, mounded shaped, multi-stemmed, winter-hardy habit with glaucous dark-green tri-foliate foliage and is suitable for landscaping as a specimen or en masse.

Botanical classification: Baptisia hybrid.

Cultivar designation: ‘Honey Roasted’.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES UNDER 37 CFR 1.77(B)(6)

Baptisia ‘Honey Roasted’ was promoted in a non-enabling description andphotographs on a website operated by Walters Gardens, Inc. on Feb. 1,2021, followed by the “Walters Gardens 21-22 Catalog” initiallydistributed by Walters Gardens, Inc. on May 21, 2021. The first enablingdisclosure of Baptisia ‘Honey Roasted’, in the form of a sale, was madeby Walters Gardens, Inc. on May 3, 2021 to K Drive Greenhouse, Co.Information and plants for this sale and all sales thereafter wereobtained from the inventor. No plants of Baptisia ‘Honey Roasted’ havebeen sold, in this country or anywhere in the world, nor has anydisclosure of the new plant been made, more than one year prior thefiling date of this application, and such sale or disclosure within oneyear was either derived directly or indirectly from the inventor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of hybridBaptisia plant, botanically known as Baptisia ‘Honey Roasted’ and willbe referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘Honey Roasted’, and thenew plant. The new plant represents a new false indigo, a hardyherbaceous perennial grown for landscape and cut flower use.

‘Honey Roasted’ arose from an ongoing breeding program of the inventorat a nursery in Waseca, Minn. with continued evaluation at a wholesaleperennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with the specific intention ofimproving garden worthiness of perennial false indigo plants with awider variety of flower colors and improved garden habit.

Baptisia ‘Honey Roasted’ was a single seedling selection from a crossbetween a proprietary unreleased hybrid selection named by the breedercode “Candy” (not patented) as the female or seed parent times‘Blueberry Sundae’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,891) as the male or pollenparent. Seeds were collected from the individual selected female plantin fall of 2009 at the isolation block in Waseca, Minn., USA by theinventor. The seeds were sown by the inventor at a wholesale perennialnursery in Zeeland, Mich. in the fall of 2009 and the initial selectionmade in the spring of 2011 at the same nursery in Zeeland and given thebreeder code H9-9-01.

‘Honey Roasted’ was initially asexually propagated by stem cuttings at awholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. in 2015. The resultantplants have demonstrated that the new plant has remained stable and trueto type in successive generations of asexual propagation.

The nearest comparison plants known to the inventor are: ‘CherriesJubilee’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,907, and ‘Brownie Points’ U.S. PlantPat. No. 26,624.

‘Cherries Jubilee’ has a shorter inflorescence and broader habit and theflowers are maroon with yellow and age to gold and the flowers wouldappear more starting inside the foliage. ‘Brownie Points’ is larger insize but has caramel-brown flowers with yellow keels.

The female parent is smaller in habit and has butterscotch-coloredflowers. The male parent has similar habit, but the flowers are blue.

The new plant differs from all Baptisia known to the inventor in thefollowing combined traits:

-   -   1. Numerous flowers occur on long spikes;    -   2. Flowers open dark mahogany with a complementary bright yellow        keel;    -   3. Flowering begins about late-May in Michigan and continues for        two to three weeks;    -   4. Narrow, medium-height, upright, mounded shaped,        multi-stemmed, winter-hardy habit;    -   5. Glaucous, dark-green, tri-foliate foliage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of ‘Honey Roasted’ demonstrate the unique traits of thenew plant and the overall appearance. The colors are as accurate asreasonably possible with color reproductions. Variation in ambient lightspectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minorvariation in color. The accompanying photograph is of an eight-year-oldplant growing in an open full-sun trial garden in Zeeland, Mich.

FIG. 1 shows the habit of a plant in full flower.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the inflorescence.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

The following is a detailed description of twelve-year-old plant of‘Honey Roasted’ as grown outdoors in a trial block and two-year-oldplants grown in a partially shaded greenhouse at a wholesale perennialnursery in Zeeland, Mich. Plants of the new cultivar have not beentested under all possible conditions. The phenotype may vary withchanges in environment, climate, and cultural conditions without changehowever in the genotype. The color references are in accordance with the2015 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart exceptwhere general color dictionary terms are used.

-   Plant habit: Perennial, compact, well-branched, many-stemmed,    vase-shaped growth habit with long inflorescences held above the    foliage;-   Plant size: Stems and crown about 28 cm across at soil level, at    flowering about 105 cm tall from soil to top of flowers and 122 cm    wide about 50 cm above soil; at maturity plant foliage height about    105 cm tall and about 122 cm wide;-   Roots: Fibrous, well-branched, long, deeply rooted;-   Root color: Nearest RHS 161D;-   Propagation method: Stem cuttings, rooting in about three weeks;-   Growth rate: Moderate to average;-   Stems: Rigid and upright; highly glaucous; glabrous; cylindrical    with shallow longitudinal furrows; lower two to three nodes without    leaves or branches; normally two to three branches per plant below    flowers; about 55 stems per clump;-   Stem size: Main stem to about 9 mm diameter at base and 105 cm tall,    average about 98 cm long and about 9 mm diameter; to about 50 cm    long from soil to below initial flowers;-   Stem branches: Primary branches at 45 to 60-degree angle above    horizontal, up to 30 cm long and 5 mm diameter, average for primary    branches about 25 cm long and 4 mm diameter, smaller distally; and    three to six alternate secondary branches per stem of about 17 cm    long and 3 mm diameter, averaging about 13 cm long and 3 mm    diameter;-   Stem color: Between RHS N138D and RHS 194D;-   Stem scales: At stem nodes; lanceolate; emarginate to retuse apex    with sharply pointed sides; truncate clasping base; margin entire;    dehiscing to leave behind thin scar on stem; about 18 mm wide at    base and 21 mm wide in center; about 18 mm long and 2 mm wide in    center of apex;-   Stem scale color: Variable, nearest RHS N138D, between RHS 146B and    RHS 147B, and RHS N186A before dehiscing;-   Internodes: Up to 9 cm apart between lowest branches, average about    6 cm;-   Internode color: Variable, nearest RHS 139D, RHS 148D and nearest    RHS N186A;-   Foliage: Alternate; ternate to palmately compound with three    leaflets; outer two leaflets independent, at nearly 90-degree angle    to middle leaflet; up to 8 cm long and 12.5 cm wide;-   Leaflet: Three; oblanceolate; apex acute, base cuneate; margins    entire; petiolate; adaxial surfaces matte, glabrous and slightly    glaucous, abaxial slightly glaucous and glabrescent becoming matte;    middle lobe to about 7.5 cm long and 3.5 cm wide, side lobes about    6.8 cm long and 2.9 cm wide;-   Leaflet color: Newly expanding adaxial between RHS 137A and RHS    NN137A, abaxial nearest RHS 137A; mature adaxial nearest RHS 138A,    abaxial between RHS 138A and RHS 138B;-   Venation: Pinnate, glabrous, thin, not conspicuous;-   Vein color: Newly expanding foliage adaxial midrib and primary veins    between RHS 145C and RHS 146D, abaxial nearest RHS 147C; mature    adaxial midrib and secondary veins nearest RHS NN137B, abaxial    midrib lighter than RHS 145D and secondary veins nearest RHS 137C;-   Petioles: Glabrescent; slightly glaucous; concavo-convex; to about    10 mm long and 2 mm wide at base, average 5 cm long and 1.5 mm wide;-   Petiole color: Adaxial center nearest 145A and margin nearest RHS    138A, abaxial nearest RHS 147C;-   Stipules: Narrowly lanceolate, narrowly acute apex with base    truncate; to about 25 mm long and 7 mm wide, average 16 mm long and    5 mm wide with largest stipules below primary branches and    decreasing distally and on secondary branches;-   Stipule color: Nearest RHS 138A both surfaces;-   Peduncle: Cylindrical with vertical shallow ridges and furrows;    glaucous; glabrous; from first flower to apex about 26 cm long;    diameter at the base of first flower about 3.5 mm and about 2 mm    diameter at the apex;-   Peduncle color: Between RHS N187A and RHS N186A in the flowering    portions;-   Pedicel: Cylindrical, glabrous, glaucous; about 5 mm long and 1 mm    diameter;-   Pedicel color: Nearest RHS 146B;-   Calyx: Campanulate; four-lobed; to about 8 mm long, 8 mm tall and 9    mm across at apex;-   Sepals: Four; one larger dorsal, one ventral and two lower lateral;    acute apices; fused into tube in proximal 6 mm; margin entire;    glabrous adaxial and abaxial; dorsal sepal to about 9 mm long and 5    mm wide at fusion; other three sepals to about 9 mm long and 4 mm    across at fusion;-   Sepal color: Adaxial nearest RHS 145C; abaxial nearest RHS 150C with    light tinting of nearest RHS 146D distally;-   Buds one day prior to anthesis: Oblong elliptic, flatted vertically;    to about 25 mm long and 12 mm tall and 9 mm wide, slightly smaller    in distal flowers;-   Bud color one day prior to anthesis: Exposed keel petal blend    nearest RHS 5A, enfolded banner petal between RHS N186B and RHS 187A    in dorsal center, sides nearest RHS 5A with minor veins and moderate    blushing nearest RHS 187A, exposed alae petals ventrally nearest RHS    5A and dorsally transitioning to between RHS 166A and RHS 176A;-   Flower: Zygomorphic, papilionaceous, non-secund, held at about a    45-degree angle above horizontal; to about 48 flowers per main    raceme and about 17 per secondary branch; seasonally effective for    at least 2 weeks beginning in late May in Zeeland, Mich.;-   Lasting: Individual flowers remain effective as cut flowers and on    raceme for about four days; individually to about 25 mm long, 16 mm    tall and 18 mm wide at largest portions; consisting of an upper    banner, a lower keel made up of two lobes folded around gynoecium    and androecium; and two lateral wings or alae laterally appressed    against keel;-   Flower fragrance: None detected;-   Petals: Five; with a lower fused keel, an upper banner, and two    lateral wings or alae; keel comprised of two sections that are    folded around stamens and pistil;    -   -   Banner petal.—Conduplicate, reflexed upward and backward and            pinched in the middle; apex retuse, base claw-like, margin            entire; to about 20 mm long, 16 mm across natural width, 20            mm wide flattened spread and 12 mm tall; with rounded            emarginate apex notched about 2 mm deep; basal portion            attenuate claw-type, 5 mm long and 2 mm wide at base.        -   Banner color.—Upon first opening — adaxial distal margin            nearest RHS 5A, center between RHS 166A and RHS 176A with            faint veins and blushing between center and margin and claw            nearest RHS 2B; abaxial center nearest RHS N186B, distally            lightly blushed and veined with nearest RHS 177A with claw            nearest RHS 145C; mature adaxial and abaxial claw nearest            RHS 145D and blade portion between RHS 177D and RHS 166D.        -   Keel.—Comprised of two main lobes that are folded around            stamens and pistil; fused in the distal one-third with the            apex emarginate or retuse and the bases separate and            claw-like; margin entire; top edge about one-third of the            way from base has 2 mm smaller lobe pointing toward base;            about 21 mm long and 10 mm tall and 2 mm wide; blade portion            to about 17 mm long and 10 mm tall, with claw to about 7 mm            long and base narrowed to 2 mm wide at base.        -   Keel color.—Upon first opening — adaxial base nearest RHS            145C, distal portion nearest RHS 5A and proximal portion            nearest RHS 4C; abaxial keel distal portion nearest RHS 5A            proximal portion RHS 4C, base nearest RHS 145C; mature            between RHS 11A and RHS 11B and base nearest RHS 145D.        -   Alae.—Two; papilionaceous corolla appendage with rounded            apex and claw-like base; with 2 mm long by 2 mm wide lobe            pointing toward base and about one-third of the way from            base; about 21 mm long and 10 mm tall with the claw to 3 mm            wide at base of blade and 2 mm wide at base and 7 mm long;            blade about 17.mm long and 10 mm wide.        -   Alae color.—Upon first opening — adaxial claw base between            RHS 150C and RHS 150D, dorsal main blade portion and lobe            nearest RHS 4A and ventral main blade moderately blushed            with nearest RHS 177A; abaxial claw base nearest RHS 150D,            lobe and main blade dorsal portion nearest RHS 5A and main            blade ventral portion between RHS 177A and RHS 167A; mature            between RHS 11A and RHS 11B, with claw nearest RHS 145D.-   Receptacle: Disk-shaped, about 3 mm diameter and 2.5 mm depth; color    between RHS 138A and RHS 137B;-   Gynoecium: One, with superior ovary and stipe; to about 20 mm long;    -   -   Style.—Cylindrical; glabrous; slightly glaucous; tapered and            curved upwardly distally, about 8 mm long and about 0.7 mm            diameter above ovary; color nearest RHS 145B.        -   Stigma.—About 0.2 mm diameter; color nearest RHS NN155A.        -   Ovary.—Superior above hypanthium, suspended by stipe; about            7 mm long and about 1.5 mm in diameter; color between RHS            150D and RHS N144D.        -   Stipe.—Cylindrical; glabrous; slightly glaucous; about 5 mm            long and 0.7 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 145B.-   Androecium:    -   -   Stamens.—Ten.        -   Filament.—Glabrous; slightly lustrous; not united 20 mm in            length and about 0.5 mm in diameter; slightly curved            upwardly distally; color nearest RHS 145D.        -   Anther.—Dorsifixed, oblong; about 2 mm long and 1.2 mm wide;            color nearest RHS 17A.        -   Pollen.—Spherical; abundant; color nearest RHS 17A.-   Fruit: Bivalve inflated ellipsoidal pod; glabrous; about 30 mm long,    18 mm across and 13 mm thick; with thin, linear, arcuate, terminal    beak about 3 mm long and about 1 mm thick; rounded base;-   Fruit color: At maturity between 200A and RHS 202A;-   Seeds: About 8 per pod (open pollinated); reniform; glabrous; about    4.0 mm long, 3.0 mm across and 2.0 mm thick; color nearest RHS    N199C;-   Hardiness: To USDA zones 4 to 9; tolerant of heavy clay or light    loamy-sand soils; able to withstand drought conditions once    established;-   Diseases: Susceptibility or resistance to diseases beyond that    typically found in other false indigo plants has not been observed;

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Baptisia plant named‘Honey Roasted’ as herein described and illustrated.